To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee taken off Mississippi school reading list - Sensationalist Headlines

[QUOTE=DinoJesus;52780642]Wait you're in eight grade?[/QUOTE] Cant forget, much like many of us did there are a bunch of kids growing up here. I know its off topic but its crazy to think i was lurking here in elementary school

You don't get passed the stigma behind the words by avoiding them in any and every context. Also, it's a reallllly good fuckin read.

[QUOTE=haloguy234;52780712]It's dumb that most classes don't work like that though, everybody has to read together, and be damned if you read ahead.[/QUOTE] You can thank our mega standardization oriented, no child left behind bullshit education ideology for that one.

Maybe its because Im so far removed from the south as a canadian, but TKAMB was a fucking chore to read. Maybe it was the pace the teacher forced us to (one of them "homework is mandatory" teachers, we didnt read in class). But the court trial scene I really really liked, which contrasted heavily with the rest of the book that I thought was just boring. But hey Im also a big fantasy novel scrub, who read dozens of fantasy novels before TKAMB and still do. Probably just not up my alley.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book and the majority of my class would frequently make it known how badly they disliked reading To Kill a Mockingbird. But I'm not too sure about the whole "it offended people!" reasoning - people in my class found it boring, not offensive.

To Kill a Mockingbird was probably the only piece of literature I enjoyed reading in my high school curriculum.

[QUOTE=PelPix123;52781022]honestly aversion to the word in this sense shows how privileged white people are in that regard. the response is internally based around "Wow, there's that word! I hate that word! It's been years since I've heard that word and I thoroughly don't like it and would rather not hear it again for a few more years! Please don't remind me of that word, I almost forgot about it!" meanwhile african americans hear it multiple times a day lmao. not everyone has the luxury of almost forgetting the n word exists [editline]15th October 2017[/editline] you see the same sort of people being against Blazing Saddles, which overuses the n-word on purpose to force white people to confront what black people experience. these people challenge this sort of media for [I]doing its job:[/I] making white people uncomfortable with the truth[/QUOTE]blame the school board, not an entire race

[QUOTE=PelPix123;52781022]honestly aversion to the word in this sense shows how privileged white people are in that regard. the response is internally based around "Wow, there's that word! I hate that word! It's been years since I've heard that word and I thoroughly don't like it and would rather not hear it again for a few more years! Please don't remind me of that word, I almost forgot about it!" meanwhile african americans hear it multiple times a day lmao. not everyone has the luxury of almost forgetting the n word exists [editline]15th October 2017[/editline] you see the same sort of people being against Blazing Saddles, which overuses the n-word on purpose to force white people to confront what black people experience. these people challenge this sort of media for [I]doing its job:[/I] making white people uncomfortable with the truth[/QUOTE] So you wanna point me to the part of the article where they specified the race of the people who filed the complaints, or where it says they banned the book? Or would you rather just continue in a racist bubble? Also to say white people dont hear nigger for years or are trying to forget it (or any race for that matter), or that its usage in Blazing Saddles was to specifically unease whites is absurd. [editline]15th October 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=MissingNoGuy;52781084]blame the school board, not an entire race[/QUOTE] I personally blame whoever complained about it, but I'm not so worried since they've left it available to the school library rather than outright scolding it. It's optional, which is a plus but since they might not read something they don't have to is a shame aswell. Or perhaps interest to see what was too much for class will gravitate more students to it.

[QUOTE=PelPix123;52781022]honestly aversion to the word in this sense shows how privileged white people are in that regard. the response is internally based around "Wow, there's that word! I hate that word! It's been years since I've heard that word and I thoroughly don't like it and would rather not hear it again for a few more years! Please don't remind me of that word, I almost forgot about it!" meanwhile african americans hear it multiple times a day lmao. not everyone has the luxury of almost forgetting the n word exists[/QUOTE] Not every white person is a yuppie in a gated community who went to a private school with other rich white kids like them, you know. I hear "nigger" and it doesn't even phase me because of how often I hear it. [editline]a[/editline] But hey you know nobody ever got mad about stereotyping people based on their race!

[QUOTE=usaokay;52780612]This is how the world of Fahrenheit 451 began.[/QUOTE] You obviously never fucking read Fahrenheit if you think books being taken off a reading list means we're slipping into a Bradburyian nightmare. Pull the other one (it's got bells on), mate. A Bradburyian scenario would begin with the active destruction and erasure of knowledge and books. To Kill A Mockingbird has gone nowhere. It's not going anywhere. It's just not on one individual, pathetic school precinct's reading list anymore. But oh, blimey, Christ alive, that means we're on the path to a totalitarian nightmare! It's people like you that cry wolf over totalitarianism and information control at every little insignificant act of censorship that have allowed us to slide into a covert disinfo state. All that Russian bollocks is only happening because people like you are such flagrant reactionaries that it actually has ripple effects. [editline]15th October 2017[/editline] Personally I don't agree with this move but the fact you're obviously baiting for zings/winners with a snidey comment about something you obviously have no idea about is disgraceful.

I don't get it, why not just edit out/replace "offensive" language and keep the book in the curriculum?

[QUOTE=usaokay;52780612]This is how the world of Fahrenheit 451 began.[/QUOTE] What you mean with Fahrenheit 451? Oh it is that book that was banned a few years ago. I wonder what its content was. Probably very evil and bad so it would hurt the population merely reading it.

[QUOTE=PelPix123;52781022]honestly aversion to the word in this sense shows how privileged white people are in that regard. the response is internally based around "Wow, there's that word! I hate that word! It's been years since I've heard that word and I thoroughly don't like it and would rather not hear it again for a few more years! Please don't remind me of that word, I almost forgot about it!" meanwhile african americans hear it multiple times a day lmao. not everyone has the luxury of almost forgetting the n word exists [editline]15th October 2017[/editline] you see the same sort of people being against Blazing Saddles, which overuses the n-word on purpose to force white people to confront what black people experience. these people challenge this sort of media for [I]doing its job:[/I] making white people uncomfortable with the truth[/QUOTE] I don't really think white people in particular are privileged with this. After all, I'm white and I'm heavily offended by this. I think it's more got to do with the culture we have where we try to suppress anything controversial. As if controversial things just shouldn't be talked about because that's the safest option. Nobody gets offended, nobody gets challenged. Only we need people to be offended and we need people to be challenged. The oft quoted "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." is absolutely truth. The book was removed because the use of the word nigger made people uncomfortable. Good. That's the [I]point.[/I] Without being confronted with the ugly reality of our past sins it's all to easy to believe that they never happened, and repeat it as a result. What is the flaw in a totalitarian government in a world where Hitler and Mussolini have been forgotten? I already think a lot of new racism comes from whites who have not been on or personally seen people be on the receiving end of the stick of racism. Even if it happens, they don't see it, therefore they don't think it exists, therefore they see a bunch of whiners, slackers, and moochers, living in ghetttos, and thus they start to resent them. Debate when in school it should be taught however you like, but I believe the book and books like it are absolutely necessary for confronting children with the horrors of racism so that they won't become racist themselves.

If you're going to remove/replace a required reading of literature in the school curriculum I wouldn't mind seeing Shakespeare take a backseat. Not that there's anything wrong with it but jfc being subjected to a forced reading of Romeo and Juliet (including numerous viewings of the Leonardo DiCaprio film) is grating.

[QUOTE=Chris Morris;52781224] A Bradburyian scenario would begin with the active destruction and erasure of knowledge and books. [/QUOTE] To be fair, a Bradburyian scenario would begin with television becoming more popular than books. That's what he was writing about.

Should Of Mice and Men be taken off too for having the word nigger in it, and I guess also for possibly being offensive toward mentally challenged people or something.

[QUOTE=butre;52780566]nobody in 8th grade really enjoys the book anyway, and making a bunch of pre-teens say nigger 48 times doesn't accomplish anything meaningful. they're still allowed to read it, they just don't have to. like any book it'll have a greater impact if it's read on one's own time rather than on the teacher's[/QUOTE] its a hell of a lot better than the scarlett letter which is downright awful and pointless in today's society

[QUOTE=Dr. Ethan Asia;52781642]To be fair, a Bradburyian scenario would begin with television becoming more popular than books. That's what he was writing about.[/QUOTE] Bradbury had some fucking wack ideas about the advancement of culture, though. I remember him going absolutely bugfuck mental at the idea of EBooks existing. He seemed to be completely unaware of the fact that written text and digital text can coexist.

[QUOTE=butre;52780566]nobody in 8th grade really enjoys the book anyway, and making a bunch of pre-teens say nigger 48 times doesn't accomplish anything meaningful. they're still allowed to read it, they just don't have to. like any book it'll have a greater impact if it's read on one's own time rather than on the teacher's[/QUOTE] This post oozes dumb to the point I'd question your literacy if you said this to me in person. The only thing preventing me from doing so currently is the fact an internet forum in a written medium.

I honestly haven't read the book but the movie was really dang good!

[QUOTE=Mashak;52781229]I don't get it, why not just edit out/replace "offensive" language and keep the book in the curriculum?[/QUOTE] With that sort of censorship the art of the future would look like: [t]https://i.imgur.com/EOIqKd0.jpg[/t] [t]https://i.imgur.com/BGWL9sj.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;52781993]This post oozes dumb to the point I'd question your literacy if you said this to me in person. The only thing preventing me from doing so currently is the fact an internet forum in a written medium.[/QUOTE] I'm an aspiring English major and I agree with them that being forced to read books in school at the 8th grade level, which are usually kids from the ages of 13-15, doesn't have much of an impact on them unless they are passionate about the literature they're reading and are reading it by choice. The problem isn't the books themselves, but how public schooling would make students read the books, and how teachers would construct their tests and quizzes around a single book for a month or two. I absolutely hated reading throughout all of grade school, because it was never truly engaging with 20+ students in a single classroom. Teachers would most often do a "pop-corn" reading kind of deal where one kid would read a few paragraphs, say "Pop; (name)" and that next student would have to read. If you were reading ahead, you'd be absolutely lost at which place people were reading from. If you slowed yourself down to keep in pace with other students you wouldn't really be thinking on the material since you were just focusing on not looking like an idiot when it was your turn. If you couldn't verbally read at a proper pace without stuttering or mispronouncing any words you'd be mocked for it, even by some teachers, and if you read too fast you'd be interrupted multiple times and told to slow down. We also didn't always have the option to bring the books home with us to further read and think about on our own; since the teachers usually had to buy/rent copies for the classroom and couldn't risk losing any of them. Public schooling here didn't give students the opportunity to form our own opinions and discuss them, since the teachers had a curriculum to follow, had to make sure their students got certain grades, and had to get things done by a certain time. That ultimately lead to them butchering the purpose of the books, describing "this is what this chapter is about" as if it were matter of fact that their interpretation was the only one there could be, since the test grades took importance over actual knowledge. Maybe that is just my school experience; but at that point, nobody in my classes were actually reading the books for their enjoyment, or to get a better understanding of something and form their own opinions. They were reading it just to get a passing grade in a mandatory class so that they could eventually graduate. [b]TLDR;[/b] I still think that students should be encouraged to read stories like this on their own time and find outlets to have a discussion about them. It is very important to expose kids to these stories and lessons at that age, but the way it is instructed in school can be inefficient for expressing the importance of the literature/history itself and its relevance to society over time.

It probably reminds them to much of the arsehole they voted into the White House

[QUOTE=usaokay;52780612]This is how the world of Fahrenheit 451 began.[/QUOTE] not what 451 was about lmao

Hopefully the kids don't have to read catcher in the rye as a substitute. Holden is so bitchy you'd think he's on his period for the entire book.

[QUOTE=Shirt.;52783677]Hopefully the kids don't have to read catcher in the rye as a substitute. Holden is so bitchy you'd think he's on his period for the entire book.[/QUOTE] I get the premise of the book, and I really like it. But I could not, for the life of me, bear to tolerate Holden's character. Reading his parts were awful.

[QUOTE=Shirt.;52783677]Hopefully the kids don't have to read catcher in the rye as a substitute. Holden is so bitchy you'd think he's on his period for the entire book.[/QUOTE] Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird were the books that actually got me interested in reading in high school. The Great Gatsby was the intolerable book I muttled through. Perfect for high schoolers I guess in retrospect. "Wah she doesn't like me better be mopey now"

I hope they replace it with some good, [I]wholesome[/I] [B]AMERICAN[/B] literature like Ayn Rand. They better make them watch the Atlas Shrugged film in class too. Because it asks really engaging questions you know? Who [I]is[/I] John Galt?!

[QUOTE=butre;52780566]nobody in 8th grade really enjoys the book anyway, and making a bunch of pre-teens say nigger 48 times doesn't accomplish anything meaningful. they're still allowed to read it, they just don't have to. like any book it'll have a greater impact if it's read on one's own time rather than on the teacher's[/QUOTE] I really liked To Kill A Mockingbird and Atticus Finch is a great role model. His volunteering to defend Tom Robinson in court when most of his friends/associates were super racist and he even was willing to defend Tom against the people who came to lynch him despite Atticus being outnumbered and having to threaten people that he'd known for a long time in order to protect someone who was considered by most of the town to be less than human. What I find absolutely hilarious about the controversy over the word nigger in To Kill A Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn is that both works have characters go out of their way to protect black people. The moral climax of Huckleberry Finn is when he defies society's sense of what is right in order to protect his friend. [QUOTE]I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking- thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time; in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him agin in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around, and see that paper. It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself:"All right, then, I'll go to hell"- and tore it up. It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.”[/QUOTE] Huck Finn is a Christian and he's willing to suffer the worst punishment possible in order so that his friend can go free. If the text is edited to remove the word nigger and replace that word with slave, it completely ruins the moment. The word nigger carries a harsh meaning to it that the word slave cannot replace and while it's one of the worst things you can call a person, its being one of the worst things you can call a person ironically allows these works to show how far the characters in these stories will go to protect someone and establishes them as morally righteous. Do I think that the word nigger should be used in public freely or that black people should be called niggers? Absolutely not. There's a major difference between reading a document from a time period where the word nigger was commonly accepted and using the word nowadays, especially since the usage of the word is justified in both Huck Finn and Mockingbird.